Cellular 9-1-1

Employment

Phase I Cellular 9-1-1 Call

When you dial 9-1-1 on a cell phone, the call goes to the closest cellular tower and then gets re-transmitted through regular phone lines to the 9-1-1 center that handles the area the cell tower covers. The dispatcher will see your cellular callback number and the address of the cell tower the call came from. You will need to provide the dispatcher your location so that they can get help to you.

Phase II Cellular 9-1-1 Call

Northwest Central Dispatch System has the ability to plot a Latitude and Longitude on a map if it is provided by the cellular carrier when you dial 9-1-1. If the cellular carrier provides this information, the call is considered to be a Phase II call. All this means is that the dispatcher will not only see the address of the cell tower, but they will also be given the caller's Latitude and Longitude when they placed the 9-1-1 call. The map used by Northwest Central Dispatch System will automatically plot the Latitude and Longitude if it sees one attached to an incoming call. The photo to the below shows what the dispatcher will see.

Northwest Central Dispatch is capable of receiving a Latitude and Longitude from the following cellular carriers and their affiliates: AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon.

A Phase II location isn't always provided by a cellular carrier (it depends on several factors including the weather, and if the call originated inside a building, etc) but when it is, Northwest Central Dispatch System can plot it on the map.